Can You Overcome Sibling Rivalry?

August 26, 2012

Do you ever struggle with sibling rivalry with your own siblings or your kids? This can be especially tough with siblings of the same sex who are close in age. The Bible is filled with great stories of sibling rivalries: Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, and David and his brothers. What can we learn?

* Sibling rivalries happen in the best of families.

* They most commonly result from competition and jealousy.

* Parents can make it worse by showing favoritism, comparing one child to another, or trying to manipulate God’s will for one child over another.

Sibling rivalry can be overcome when parents are fair and teach siblings to respect and love one another. They can teach siblings to forgive and seek forgiveness of one another. When that occurs, it’s like seeing the face of God.